


Speculating Science and Magic

by startraveller776



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Drabble Collection, F/M, Ficlet Collection, One Shot Collection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-22
Updated: 2020-09-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:00:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22843675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/startraveller776/pseuds/startraveller776
Summary: A collection of detailed plots of stories I'm not going to write based on prompts and challenges I've received on Tumblr. All of them feature the pairing of Jane Foster and Loki. Various genres and ratings. Any pertinent warnings are in each chapter. PERMISSIONS: If one of these zany ideas sparks your muse, you totally have my blessing to write the story. All I ask is that you link me when you post it!
Relationships: Jane Foster/Loki
Comments: 33
Kudos: 55





	1. Coffee Shop + Teacher AU

**Author's Note:**

> **Prompt:** Combination of Coffee Shop AU and Teacher AU from stardust--and--magic on Tumblr  
>  **Genre:** Friends To Lovers, Fluff, Romance  
>  **Rating:** T (though probably closer to K+)
> 
>  **A/N:** Please note that all of these are written in a sort of stream-of-consciousness style without regard for proper grammar.

**Coffee Shop AU + Teacher AU**

It’s Jane’s last summer working at the coffee shop before she starts her PhD program. She’s also snagged a gig subbing for a science teacher at a nearby prep school for their summer term—but that doesn’t start for another three weeks. She’s working to build up as much of her nest egg before academia steals all of her time.

She’s working a late afternoon shift with Darcy. They’re refilling the display case with some baked goods that Darcy has just cooked up. (Darcy is the resident baker.) “Whoa, dude,” Darcy suddenly says. Jane looks up, and yeah, whoa. Because a man has just walked into the shop, and he gives new meaning to tall, dark, and handsome. Not that Jane’s the kind to drool over some random stranger (like Darcy), but man, this guy is _pretty_ to look at. He’s so well-put together, unlike the the normal clientele: bearded guys in beanies or man-buns who fancy themselves to be poets and musicians or super philosophical. No, this man is wearing a three-piece suit, midnight hair slicked back, pale eyes and sharp, angular features.

Darcy totally gears up to take his order as he approaches the counter (”Yes, come to Mama!”), but then a timer goes off in the kitchen. She curses under her breath and shoves Jane toward the register. He doesn’t speak at first, instead studies the quirky names on the chalkboard menu hanging on the brick wall behind her. Yeah, this is definitely not the kind of place that a man like him would normally patronize.

“Have any questions?” she asks.

“No,” he says without looking at her. “I’ll have tea, the... _Nebula_ blend...with milk—in first, please.”

And like, whoa again. Because that deep, raspy British-esque timbre. He finally looks at her, her cheeks burn just a little. His gaze is so intense. She’s never met a person in real life who exudes this kind of presence; she’s only read about it in the occasional romance novel that Darcy strong-arms her into reading (”So we can have more to talk about than school!! Ugh!”). Jane decides right then and there that this is the kind of man to appreciate from a safe distance. (Not that she’s likely ever to see him again. There’s no way he’s coming back here.)

“Name?” she asks.

“Loki.” He smiles when she raises a brow, and lord help them all, he has a faint dimple—more like a line. 

“God of Mischief,” she says to deflect how unsettlingly attractive she finds him. “Got it.” As she takes his payment, she quips, “How’s Thor, by the way? Still working up a storm? Odin still keeping an eye on things.” Stop, she wants to tell herself. She’s so stupidly awkward with the opposite sex, unless she’s talking science—then she intimidates the hell out of them. (She can tell by that glazed over look they get in their eyes, how their smiles turn plastic.)

Loki laughs, and it’s soft and sand-papery. She’s glad she’s facing away from him, working on his order, because she’s blushing again.

“Well, good luck with Ragnarok,” she says as she hands him his tea.

He gives her a wide grin. “Thank you—” he peers at her name tag, “—Alberta Einstein. How _is_ that bridge theory coming along, by the way? Rosen’s not giving you grief, is he?”

She bites her lip, mirrors his grin. “Not today.” She holds his gaze for a beat before deciding to take a chance. It’s not like she’s ever going to see him again. “My friends call me Jane. Jane Foster.”

“Ah.” He gives her a once over, and that intensity is back. Yep, definitely safer to keep this guy to the realm of fantasy. “Pleasure, Miss Foster.” He dips his head before he makes for the doors.

After he’s gone, Darcy leans against the threshold between the shop and the kitchen, fanning herself lazily. “Dude, that was _hot_.”

Jane shakes her head. And if she goes home later in the day in a good mood, well, that’s fine. She’s got a pleasant memory to replay when she’s exhausted and lonely back in the throes of academia.

Except, Loki’s back the next day, and the next, and... There’s more banter between them. (”Did you get to keep the goat? Or was that a one time thing?” “I heard you finally developed a theory about space. It’s about time too.”) He lingers just a little more each time. She learns that his name is actually Loki, that he wasn’t putting one over her the first time they met. She admits that the coffee shop is just an interim step in her future career as an astrophysicist.

Each time, she convinces herself that she’s just collecting memories. Because there is still something a bit overwhelming about him, maybe even a little bit dark. Nothing is ever going to come of this almost-flirting.

Now comes time for her to start teaching for the summer. She’s got a staff meeting at the school. This place is posh. It’s for the cream of the crop of students, and a funnel for Harvard. Jane kinda feels out of her element. She’s always had to scrap by on second hand everything (clothes, technology, she still uses a prepaid phone with a cracked screen). Her school experience was vastly different than these kids; she had to make due with the limited resources of the public schools she attended. The rest of the staff is nice, if a bit stiff and a little cold, but she’s used to that after her years in Ivy League universities. 

There are whispers over some scandal with the headmaster at the end of the school year. Something about him hooking up with one of the married parents of a student. Yikes. Jane’s a little worried now, because that was the guy who hired her, and apparently he’s been fired, a new headmaster in his place. She hopes that this doesn’t affect her job here. She’s counting on this income to help set her up for the year. 

The door opens, and the room goes still as the supposed new headmaster walks in, head down, focused on his iPad. Jane’s breath catches when he looks up. It’s her coffee shop friend, Loki. He scans the group of teachers, gaze pausing just a beat on her, frown creasing the corners of his mouth before he moves on. That displeasure, that dismissal, makes her stomach drop as he leads the meeting.

Aside from discussing the agenda and a reminder to have all lesson plans submitted before the start of the term for approval, Mr. Laufeyson spends some time explaining the expectation of utmost professionalism. He mentions the scandal that they’d been gossiping about before he came in and expresses that no such behavior will happen under his watch. He closes the meeting. 

He shakes everyone’s hand before leaving, and when he gets to Jane, it’s like he’s never met her before. “Miss Foster,” he says after a brief, firm shake, “although you are a substitute, we expect _all_ of our teachers to adhere to our exacting academic standards. Do remember that this is not merely a paycheck to line your pockets before you move onto grander pursuits.”

Jane feels like she’s been slapped, and she’s instantly angry. Because maybe they’ve shared a few jokes and bad puns and smiles, he doesn’t know her. How dare he assume that she’s not going to take this job seriously because he knows about her plans for grad school. She gives him a flat look and returns, “You don’t have to worry about me. I doubt anyone can live up to my standards.” Yeah, that was more a jab at him personally, but so what?

He holds her gaze for a tense second, and did the corner of his mouth just twitch? No, that was a trick of light and shadows. “Good.” He walks away without another word.

(Yeah, I bet you thought I couldn’t put some kind of “adversarial beginnings” in this story. I will find a way. I _always_ find a way. * _maniacial laughter_ *)

He stops coming to the shop, or if he does, it’s not when she’s working. Good riddance, she thinks. He’s proving that intense, dark, mysterious men are only worthwhile in fiction. In real life, they’re just bastards, pure and simple.

She sends in her lesson plan. He sends it back, saying it’s not rigorous enough for the kind of students that school is catering to. After all, summer term is for students who want to get ahead in credits and education, not a failsafe for the lazy who can’t be bothered to complete their work during the school year (like those in public schools, he implies). She calls him all kinds of names as she works on her new lesson plan. This one he sends back too. Apparently she’s gone too far in the other direction. Perhaps she would benefit from some mentoring, he suggests (she’s sure he was sneering when he typed up the email), since teaching isn’t her career choice and she’s had little experience beyond working as a TA during her Masters program. He schedules a meeting at the school that Saturday before school starts, doesn’t even ask if it will work for her. Just tells her to be there.

She arrives at the meeting seething, but she does her best to keep her cool. They spend the next few hours arguing over what should or shouldn’t got in her lesson plan and in what order. (She’s teaching two classes: Intro to physics and advanced physics.) She wants to scream because nothing she proposes seems to satisfy him, and yeah, maybe she hasn’t taught high school age kids, it can’t be _that_ different from teaching college freshmen. Near the end of the meeting, in frustration she spits out, “No wonder the gods sewed your mouth shut!” 

He blinks at her for a second, and she’s mortified that she said that out loud, because she’s been good at keeping her comments from being personal (despite all the cussing she’s been doing in her head.) But before she can apologize for crossing the line, he laughs. And it’s not just a soft, sand-papery thing, but a full-on guffaw. She laughs nervously with him, thinking maybe he’s cracked (because he was so _serious_ and intense and kinda scary, looking back on it now). 

The meeting ends on that slightly weird note, and she’s not exactly sure what happened. But come Monday, he’s back to absolute professionalism, like nothing ever happened. Though he visits her classes that day, standing in the back in utter silence. She kinda fumbles through them, feeling nervous with his presence.

So commences summer school. Loki visits her class often; she thinks more than he does the others, but she chooses to chalk it up to her being a sub and him making sure she’s “adhering to the school’s exacting standards.” He also calls her into his office from time to time to go over things. Initially, she’s irked by this, but she’s also discovered he’s not wrong, teaching teens is different, particularly _these_ teens. She has drive in spades, but these kids are so somber, serious, and maybe a little bit arrogant. She has to fight against the instinct to be intimidated by money. And she’s also tempted to take one of the scholarship students under her wing, a girl who loves science as much as she does, but who has to work to help her family out. The disadvantages pains Jane; she knows them personally.

At the same time, she sees a couple of the privileged students struggling under parental pressure.

Her meetings with Loki become less him telling her what she’s doing wrong, where she needs to improve, and more conversations about the difficulties in reaching students, the drama in dealing with parents. Advice also turns into shared anecdotes, and even a shocked laugh or two. It’s still pretty professional, just no longer quite adversarial. Her chats at her second job with Darcy morph from her complaining about her obstinate boss to some of the crazy things that happen at the school. (Darcy doesn’t miss the change, either. Nor the the times when Jane can’t come in earlier to the coffee shop because she has a meeting with Mr. Laufeyson.)

Unfortunately, it’s not quite easy sailing yet. Because after one of those meetings, as Loki and Jane are coming out of his office, laughing about their bad puns and silly jokes (because those are back again), they run into one of the other teachers. This gal has been on staff for years, and while she gives them both a (fake) smile, the way she looks back and forth between them makes it clear what conclusions she’s drawing. She’s just so pleased that “Mr. Laufeyson has gone above and beyond to welcome our young substitute into the fold.” It’s like a cold mask falls over Loki.

He almost never visits the classroom after that. He doesn’t call her into meetings. The vibe is so cold and uncomfortable that she even feels weird sending him him the grades for the midterms. Later, in the teacher’s lounge, she overhears a couple of the other teachers talking about Loki, how he probably only got the position because of his family connections. When they speculate on how long it’ll be before he screws up, and oh, did you see how he is with that substitute teacher? Then the gossip turns into how pathetic Jane is to try to land a guy that comes from such an old and wealthy family, how she’s practically throwing herself at him. Jane is both angry and horrified that anyone would think that of both her and him. She wants to scream at them. She wants to quit on the spot. But the former would only feed the rumors and the latter would be a disservice to her students. She’s only got another couple of weeks.

She storms out of the faculty room and runs into Loki. He frowns at her, he can tell that she’s upset, but that makes her even angrier. Because he’s been ignoring her forever (it seems) and now he wants to be her friend. She steps back from the hands holding her shoulders to steady her. “Watch out in there,” she warns with a nod toward the teacher’s lounge. “I think they’re going to tie you up and douse you with snake venom.”

His brows draw together, then he glances at the door, the muscles in his jaw working before his mouth curves in a feral smile. “Oh, they’ll _try_ .” His tone is cold and frightening, and strangely exhilarating. Jane had no idea that she could be so bloodthirsty; she’s pretty sure that she’s inadvertently awakened something wild and hungry and vicious inside of him. “I’ll deal with them,” he says. His eyes seem to add, _“And then I’ll deal with you.”_

She leaves, heads to the coffee shop. She’s not on schedule today, but right now she doesn’t want to sit in her tiny studio apartment and remember that look he gave her, the way her heart stuttered, the violent somersaults in her stomach. She sits in the corner of the shop, grading final project papers for hours. It’s mindless work and she desperately needs it to clear her head. She’s unaware of the passage of time until Darcy kicks her foot. 

“Hey, it’s past closing,” her friend says, looking her over. “You want to come over and watch a movie?”

Jane considers it, but then dismisses the idea. She’s exhausted and tells Darcy that much as she gathers her stuff an follows her out of the shop. 

They stop short when they find Loki leaning against a car that’s clearly a luxury vehicle. His arms are folded and Jane notices that he’s not as impeccable as he normally is. Gone is his jacket. The sleeves of his shirt are rolled up. His hair has begun to free itself from whatever product he uses to keep it slicked back, curling around his ears. Not quite wild, but almost. He holds Jane’s gaze, with a bare hint of a smile, and she unconsciously steps toward him like she can’t help succumbing to his gravity. She only half-hears Darcy make an awkward statement about being a third wheel.

When they’re alone, when she’s mere inches from him, he says, “I’ve just remembered I’ve never been very good at fitting into someone else’s mold.”

She breaks into a smile, hardly able to breathe because the air is practically crackling with _something_. She nods. “You wouldn’t be Loki, otherwise.”

He hums in agreement. “And when I want something,” he murmurs, reaching out with long fingers, grasping at her hip and urging her closer, “I take it.”

“Oh?” She raises a brow. She’s playing with fire, and she doesn’t mind one bit. “What if that something doesn't want to be taken?”

His mouth stretches in a wide grin. “I think she does. Shall we test my theory, Alberta Einstein?”

Jane gives him a mock frown. “The scientific method is very important.”

“Very.”

And then he’s kissing her.

They finish the school term, professional, but also friendly on campus, ignoring the side-eyes from the other staff members. Jane’s going to be gone in a couple of weeks anyway. He comes to the coffee shop every time she works until the summer ends and school starts up for both of them. Then coffee and tea are at his place or hers. And because the scientific method is, in fact, _very_ important, they continue to test his theory over and over again.

**The End**


	2. Galaxies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Prompt:** "Galaxies" from averbaldumpingground on Tumblr  
>  **Genre:** Viking AU, Drama, Romance  
>  **Rating:** T

**Galaxies**

Jane is living the Viking heyday. She’s not Norse, but a beloved Saxon slave of Erik the Red. He captured her when she was just a wee one during one of his many exploits, and was so taken with her feisty defiance that he chose to raise her himself. Her memories of England are pretty foggy. She’s been well taken care of and can hold her own as an adult now in Viking society. They live a little ways from the village proper, up in the mountains. (There’s your bit of backstory for her that would have been given out in dribbles in the tale.)

The story actually starts with Jane standing at the threshold of the dwelling she shares with her master (really her father figure). It’s late at night and snowing pretty hard. Erik isn’t there; he’s off on another conquest. She’s heard a noise and has a sword ready (Erik taught her how to use it). It wouldn’t be the first time that some drunkard from the village thought she was vulnerable without Erik there, though she’s kind of surprised that someone would try after last time when she killed her would-be attacker.

She finds a figure facedown in the snowdrift, male judging by the size of him. She’s warring with herself over whether she should leave the idiot to die in the drift or put herself in potential danger by dragging him into her house. It takes some work, but she gets him flipped over. He doesn’t look Norse despite his size. His features are too refined, hair too dark. He almost looks dead, but she sees his chest move. He’s got a wound at his head, and she thinks he might have been a slave who tried to escape. After another internal battle, she drags him into the house with no small amount of effort. She barely gets him close to the fire; he’s freezing cold.

Once inside, she realizes that he has another, far nastier wound in his stomach and it’s starting to bleed more now that he’s thawing out. She quickly prepares a knife in the fire to cauterize the wound and finds some cloths for cleaning and binding both injuries. He barely stirs when she wrestles his boots and his wet, bloodied clothes off (because hypothermia risks). When she’s leaning over him, knife at the ready, he wakes up, grasps her hand with a disturbingly feral look in his eyes. She tries to explain that she’s helping him in both Norse and her broken fragments of Saxon, hoping he’ll understand. He nods and lets go of her hand, but he doesn’t take his eyes off of her—not until she cauterizes the wound. He yells until he’s hoarse, then promptly passes out. She cleans and bandages his wounds, covers him with furs. She cleans his tunic as best as she can (she’s never seen fabric so fine), and lays it out with the leather trousers and his boots near the fire. Then she settles into her bed to sleep, sword in hand. Sleep doesn’t come easily, and when it does, it’s fitful.

She dreams of the gods lined up, watching something past her. They all look angry, baleful—all except Frigga. The goddess instead looks at Jane with sadness. She hands Jane a large gilded bowl and pleads, “Save him, if you can.” Jane turns around, and there’s her unwelcome guest, tied up against a huge boulder. A gargantuan snake sits at the top, venom dribbling down onto the man below who screams with every searing drop. She looks at the gods, shocked that they all stand by, even Frigga who silently pleads with Jane. Jane rushes over to him and holds up the bowl to capture the venom. The mystery man looks at her with wild eyes and laughs. In a hoarse voice he tells her that her efforts are futile, that he will get his vengeance.

She wakes with a start. Her guest is awake, looking a little less ashen. He squats before her bed. He’s managed to get his trousers back on, but he’s shirtless. The way he stares at her is unnerving, then finally he stands, albeit unsteadily, and tells in perfect Norse that he’s hungry. She gets him a little food from the stores (leftover stew and a piece of bread). She also gets him one of Erik’s tunics that she’s mended while he’s away. (It’ll fit her guest, they’re both tall.) She has to help him into it, and he winces at the pain. There’s an air of something about him that she doesn’t trust, so she’s anxious to get him on his way as soon as she can. She opens the door and discovers that the snowstorm from last night continues raging outside, worse than before. The snowdrift at the threshold reaches her shoulder.

Her houseguest asks her name. She names herself Untouchable in Norse and asks his name in return. He laughs, and it’s dark and unsettling. He calls himself Trouble. A conversation ensues about how she will handle _trouble_ should it arise. He laughs again as if she’s a mere child, stamping her foot in defiance. But he promises that he would never harm his caretaker. He also says he wouldn’t take anything that she didn’t want to give, and she doesn’t miss the implications. She holds onto her sword and lets him know she knows how to use it. Again he laughs.

After the meal, he takes a small tour of the place, answering her questions about who he is and where he came from cryptically. He won’t tell her how he got injured. Eventually, he becomes weak enough to rest again, and she puts him up in Erik’s bed. She passes the day trying not to ponder too much on her strange dream as she goes about the day’s tasks. Finally, she falls asleep too, in her bed with her sword at her side and the small weaving board across her stomach.

She has another vision. In this one she is traveling through a stone corridor, following a large, cloaked figure. He pushes her against the wall as another party passes in a cross section. It’s gnarled and ragged dwarves! Her guide then takes them deeper into whatever this stone place is. Finally, they reach a cavernous room full of treasures, and her companion throws back his cowl. She recognizes Thor from her master’s lore, the golden-haired God of Thunder. He hurries to a statue at the center of the treasure trove, and she stumbles after him, unsure what she’s supposed to do. When they get closer, her breath catches. It’s a golden statue of her unwelcome houseguest, Trouble. No, not a statue, she realizes, but _him_. Trapped inside.

Thor says, “Save him if you can.” He presses a pair of iron sheers in her hand, then wields his great hammer in a wide, downward arc. The clang of hammer against gold echoes throughout the cavern in a loud din. The gold splinters, then falls away in a thousand shards. “Make haste!” Thor urges.

Jane is uncertain what she is to do, heart pounding as she hears the sound of dwarves rushing toward the cavern in shouts and yells. But then she sees it, sees the fine thread that has sown shut Trouble’s mouth. He watches her with those wild eyes as she fumbles with the sheers to cut the thread. Once free of the filament, he grasps her by the shoulders. “Don’t you see?” he hisses in a raspy whisper. “I’m going to tear down all the realms.” Then he laughs like a madman.

Again, Jane wakes with a start, this time she has to stifle a scream. Because Trouble is hovering over her, staring at her in that unnerving way. “Who _are_ you?” he asks. “Who are _you_?” she counters with more bravado than she feels. He searches her face for another breath, then backs away with a hint of a grin.

She feeds him again. He no longer looks a hairsbreadth away from death. In fact, he looks quite healthy. And the idea shakes her that he may no longer be weak enough to be overpowered should he decide he’ll take what he wants. She has bested large men, but Trouble… There is something more dangerous about him. She checks outside and discovers that the storm hasn’t stopped. (Odd that.) The snowdrift is above the frame, and she has to push at it to get a peep outside. She curses. Trouble laughs.

There is idle conversation again, though Trouble again gives very little away. There’s more than menace to him. He’s intelligent and some of his responses he delivers with a look just shy of being a leer. Jane cannot deny that he’s attractive, but she has little use for that. She meets his subtle challenges with an iron will, and instead of deterring him, he seems delighted by her fire. He refuses to let her change his bandages, telling her that he’s still smarting from the wounds and doesn’t want to agitate them.

While she attempts to mend his tunic (what _is_ this fabric?), Trouble mentions that he knows she’s not Norse. She shoots back that he’s not Norse, either. He gives a brittle laugh at that. “No, indeed.” When she asks where he’s from, he only says, “Nowhere.” There’s something in his eyes as he says that, something deep and sad and almost frightened, but it’s gone in a heartbeat when he makes another comment this side of inappropriate. 

As the day wears on, Trouble asks her to tell him the story of her people’s gods as he lays down in Erik’s bed, watching her carefully stitch his tunic. But she remembers very little of the Saxon god, only an image of a man wearing a crown of thorns as he hangs from a cross, hands and feet impaled. Instead she offers to tell him the more entertaining tales of the Norse deities. She’s starting to feel relaxed with him; despite his disconcerting aura, she thinks she might be as safe with him as he promises. Trouble finds the notion of hearing _these_ stories amusing in a sardonic way, but begs her to tell him her favorites.

She tells him about the time that the giants stole Thor’s hammer, and he had to pretend to be a bride for Thrym in order to trick him into returning it. How Loki— _Loki_. Her mind stutters at this thought. Where had Loki been in her visions? But she catches herself and continues to weave the tale of how Loki had saved Thor from being outed too soon, before the hammer was retrieved. Trouble laughs softly. “Oh, let me guess. He told the giant that his ‘bride’ was so lovesick for Thrym that she hadn’t eaten in a week, that she hadn’t slept.” “You know this tale?” “Mm, yes. But I prefer your version of it. Tell me more about this trickster god. He sounds less tedious than the others.” She tells him other tales until he falls asleep, until she, too, has to drag herself to bed where she slips into yet another vision.

She stands in the gilded halls of Asgard. The Eternal Realm is breathtaking and she doesn’t notice at first the gods garbed in full armor, standing at the ready—all but Loki. Odin steps forward, and oh, he exudes _power_. He looks down at her and hands her a crystalline dagger. “Daughter of Midgard,” he says in a booming voice. “You must stop him.” Jane looks down at the dagger, then searches the faces of the gods. Frigga stares back at her with glittering eyes, but only offers her a nod. Thor also nods, but the others look beyond her, raising weapons.

She turns to find Trouble—no, _Loki_ —advancing, but he’s different. His skin isn’t pale but the blue of a morning sky in summer. There are ridges drawn across his skin, and his eyes—oh, his _eyes_. They’re brilliant red. He’s beautiful and terrible. There’s a hoard of giants behind him more than twice his size but with the same coloring, the same markings on their skin. Loki’s gaze is fixed upon the gods behind her, and there is anger, _hatred_ in that look. He has come to destroy as he promised her before—to tear down the nine realms. 

“Trouble!” she calls for him, stepping into his path. But he doesn’t see her. “Loki!” she cries again, and this time he halts, alien eyes whipping to meet hers. Then his expression softens, and it’s full of grief and ache.

“You must stop this,” she pleads with him. 

He shakes his head, jaw clenching as he glances back at his perceived foes. “They must pay for what they’ve done.” Despite the jagged edge of his words, a tear slips down his wintery cheek, and she realizes he’s wounded in a place that cannot be healed. He looks down at her, reaches for her, hand transforming from the brilliant cerulean to pale pink flesh before his slender fingers make contact with her cheek. “It’s too late,” he whispers. Then he steps around her.

Heimdall, the copper-eyed god who sees all, steps forward to meet Loki, raising his great sword in a grim salute. Loki’s arm crackles with ice as it forms into an equally imposing blade. Jane wants to weep because she _cannot_ stop this, the end of everything. She looks at the dagger in her hands, considers wielding it against Loki, against Heimdall, but the effort seems too futile. She glances back at the line of gods who look so small in the shadows of the giants behind her. Frigga still pleads with her piercing gaze, and Jane cannot understand how the Queen of All could still believe that she has any power over this. And then she knows. Suddenly she understands that the dagger isn’t for another. It’s for herself. A sacrifice.

But what will that do? Why should Ragnarok be prevented by the sacrifice of a simple mortal? Would it not incite more violence, more vengeance? But even Heimdall glances at her before the first blow is thrown and he, too, nods. With quivering hands, she turns the point of the blade toward her chest. As Loki’s ice sword meets Heimdall’s in a loud clang, Jane jerks the dagger into her heart with a scream.

She awakens, soaked with sweat and tears, mouth still drawn out in that final death howl. Trouble is at her side again, eyes painted with both concern and lancing interest. She sits up and something thumps to the floor though she doesn’t care to look. Instead, with quaking fingers she reaches out to the bandage wrapped around his head. He doesn’t move as she unties it, breath turning gelid in her chest when she finds unmarred skin where the blow had been the day before. She yanks at his tunic, frantically untying the bandage at his torso. Again smooth flesh meets her questing hands where a jagged gouge should be. She looks up at him and speaks his name in a terrified whisper. She told him the humorous stories of Loki the trickster. But he is also Loki the God of Lies.

“Who are you?” he asks again, leaning closer to her, scrutinizing her. “Why have the Norns sent me to you?”

“To stop you.” The words leave her mouth before she can think better of it, but the truth pierces her heart. Because she realizes that somehow her sacrifice will prevent Ragnarok—the end of _everything_.

He doesn’t want to talk about this, but pain had flickered in his gaze, briefly revealing that wound she saw in his red eyes in the vision. He tells her instead that he’s hungry before crossing to the door and opening it. The storm has abated, some of the drift melted away. Jane’s stomach sinks when he looks back at her. As much as she fears him, she fears more his leaving with so much unspoken.

She gets his food, hands it to him. “How did you come to be injured?” She’s posed this question before, but she thinks he might answer now.

“Saving my vaulted brother’s honor,” he says with derision. “But then, he’s not my brother, is he?”

Jane says nothing, and her silence is rewarded with another bitter confession.

“I am a stolen relic,” he says in a near whisper. “A monster.”

She recalls his blue cast, the beautiful filagree drawn into his flesh, his red eyes from her vision—the blade of ice he formed over his arm and hand. These things were disturbing, yes, but missing from that image was a creature born from nightmares, eager to torment, to tear apart. What she witnessed was the pinnacle of vengeance from a broken being.

Holding her breath, she comes to him, draws a tentative line along his jaw (how had she missed that he grew no beard?). He captures her wrist, presses her fingers tighter against his skin with his eyes close. “I have seen,” she whispers then hesitates when words fail her. She’s left to repeat it again. “I have _seen_.” What exactly has she seen? His true self? Yes. Beyond the color of his skin, his eyes. Beyond the wound that festers inside of him. She sees in him the vastness of the night sky, glistering with stars and whatever lies past that. It frightens her, but she cannot look away.

“How will you stop me?” he asks, still grasping her wrist, though now he tugs her forward, places her hand at his side. “Tell me, little mortal, how do you stop a god?”

But he doesn’t truly want an answer. He covers her mouth with his, tastes the defiance and fire that amused him so these last two days, and she lets him. Her sacrifice is not death with a dagger in her heart. It is the death of the life she’s always known. She was made for him, and he for her.

Afterward—after he asks her to wash his hair, after he rejects her Saxon name, but instead titles her Sigyn, after they consummate the bond forged by the Norns—she finds an apple, shining with unmarred gold, beneath her bed. Loki smiles as he rises from the pile of furs near the fire. He closes her fingers around the apple.

“A mortal cannot stop a god,” he says, encouraging her to bring the fruit to her lips. “But the goddess of victory can.”

She takes a bite.

**The End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Fun fact:** A woman washing a man’s hair in Viking times was a very intimate act. The name Sigyn means “Victorious Girl-Friend” (no joke).


	3. Loki & Jane Take a Road Trip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Prompt:** Loki and Jane take a road trip (from iamartemisday on Tumblr)  
>  **Genre:** Modern AU, Humor, Romance, Rivals-to-Lovers  
>  **Rating:** T

**Loki & Jane Take a Road Trip**

This would be a human AU where Jane and Loki are science rivals. They both graduated from the same program. They both have a focus on methods of interstellar travel. They both are working to make the Einstein-Rosen bridge a reality. But their approaches are so vastly different, they are running separate projects.

Jane thinks Loki has had everything handed to him on a silver platter. She believes that he’s getting funding because of who he is, that his daddy is paving the way for him with buckets of cash. Loki thinks Jane’s utterly bonkers and screechy and ridiculously judgmental. But the thing is: no one else is as smart as either of them, and neither of them are willing to accept that the other might actually know as much about science. (The feud supposedly started after a heated debate during the first class they shared years ago.)

The competition between them has produced amazing results in both of their work, and recently both have been published. Though their papers are clearly just as much about disproving each other as proving their respective theories. They are the celebrity gossip of the astrophysics community, and their feud is popular enough that more mainstream publications have made them the “He Said vs. She Said” of the science world. They’ve even been invited to contribute to documentaries—which both always accept because there is no way that Jane is going to take a chance that Loki might be misrepresenting important science facts to the benighted masses, and vice versa. Loki thrives on this; he thinks this is all wildly entertaining. Jane hates it; she feels like keeping him from sliver-tonguing his way into being the next Neil deGrasse Tyson is hindering her work.

In January, there’s an epic, world-wide conference for astrophysicists happening in San Francisco (because that’s the future headquarters of The United Federation of Planets and Starfleet—as a throwaway mention to one of my other fandoms, heeeey!). Loki and Jane, both based in New York, have been invited to present their recent papers as keynote speakers (yes, together) at the end of conference. You’d think it would be simple: just hop a flight cross-country and then they could snipe-fight through the weekend. But you’d be wrong, my friends. Because the day of the flight (yes, they accidentally bought tickets on the same flight), there’s a record-breaking winter storm. It’s gnarly and expected to last a few days. 

Queue a scramble for car rentals for a cross-country road trip. Do you like the “only one bed in the hotel room” trope? Well, here’s the “there’s only one car at the rental place” variation. Jane manages to get to the counter first, but Loki throws his family name to steal the rental from her. But when he’s distracted by a phone call, she snatches the keys and makes a dash for the car. Loki chases her, and they end up wrestling in a snow-ditch, totally oblivious to the tension building between them that we readers are privy to. Loki manages to get the keys, but calls a truce before now-feral Jane can literally start biting at his kneecaps (because that’s practically all she can reach). 

So begins a journey west to the nearest airport that isn’t affected by the storm. (Because these two are smart enough to know that it’s still faster to fly from Chicago or Denver than to drive all the way to California.) Highlights from the trip:

  * Fights over the radio
  * Debates over science
  * Snark. So much _snark_.
  * Playing the quiet game.
  * Stopping for gas in a small town, and dinner at a diner where a waitress shameless flirts with Loki, and Jane’s like, “OMG can’t you keep your pants zipped up?” “Only if you’re offering.”
  * Spinning out when there’s a deer in the road and almost crashing into a tree.
  * Blowing out a tire and having to walk for miles to the next service station because they’re in the middle of nowhere. AAA? What’s AAA?
  * A night spent in the car because there wasn’t a hotel or motel for a hundred miles and neither of them can keep their eyes open.



Also, during these harrowing adventures, they begin to learn more about each other—that they have more in common that they realized, starting with a mutual love for Phil Collins. Jane learns that yeah, Loki grew up in a wealthy family, but it wasn’t a happy upbringing. His dad isn’t helping him get funding. (Loki just happens to be really good at schmoozing the right people.) Loki learns that Jane actually has a fun side, that she’s not just an angry robot whose sole purpose is to be his eternal bane. They start laughing together instead of at each other.

It’s here that you learn something that’s only been alluded to throughout the insanity. I mean, their hatred of each other seems a little over the top for mere colleagues in competition, right? If you said, “yes” then you’re our big winner! Ding! Ding! Ding! See, there was a mixer just before the first term started back in the day. That’s the first time that Loki and Jane met—not in class. And maybe there was some alcohol involved (just enough to throw caution to the wind). A miscommunication ensued afterward that left Jane feeling like she was just another notch in his headboard. And Loki thought Jane was using him to get closer to his brother. 

Now, years later on this road trip, they’re discovering that they were both super wrong about what happened back then—just in time to reach Chicago.

Good news! The weather is cold and snowy, but it’s not grounding planes. They decide to take the first flight in the morning. They book rooms in an airport hotel. What to do in the meantime? Basically have the first date they should have had years ago. It’s perfect. Lots of banter between them, but it’s playful and flirty and so witty. There’s dinner, then a walk under starlight. And a perfect Hallmark kiss. Then a tension-rife elevator ride up to their floor which ends with them crashing into hallway walls because they can’t separate their mouths. The only thing they’re worried about is whose room they’re going to (Loki’s). And because it’s me writing it, you get a fade to black before the really steamy stuff happens. Because I’m terrible like that.

Fade in: Loki in the shower, and Jane’s just gotten out, wrapped in a towel, feeling blissful and relaxed for maybe the first time in years. Lots of sweet things were said, a future together implied, and she’s nervous and happy. Loki’s phone buzzes on the nightstand, and she doesn’t mean to look (it was an instinctual response; not snooping). But the screen lights up with enough of a text from someone named Lorelei that’s pretty clear he’s in some kind of a relationship with this person. Jane, of course, jumps to conclusions (because she may be a genius with science, she’s stupid when it comes to people). Horrified that she was duped again, she grabs her stuff and dashes off to her room.

(I mean, you did realize that I’m writing the typical enemies-to-lovers romance novel here, right?)

Loki’s worried when she’s not there when he gets out of the shower. When he picks up his phone to call her, he sees the text from that social climber he charmed at the last charity function his mother hosted. When he’d exchanged numbers with her, he intended to set up a brief fling, but his schedule had been so busy that they’d never exchanged anything but exchanged flirty texts. Just a bit of fun, though he can admit now that it was already getting boring. And now it’s getting the way of what he really wants.

Jane has checked out of her hotel room in the middle of the night and takes the shuttle to the airport. She trades her ticket in for an earlier flight, and after texting Darcy, she shut her phone off. Loki’s going out of his mind trying to find her and by the time he’s figured out what she’s done, her flight has already left.

Jane’s arrived just in time for the last day of the conference and it’s gigantic. The entire conference center is packed with scientists, so it’s easy for her to avoid Loki when he finally makes it. Her phone is still turned off. She’s trying to enjoy the few presentations that she wanted to see, but it’s like he’s in the back of her mind. How could she be so blind? How could she have been duped by him _twice_? But then, it’s hard to reconcile this idea of him being that kind of jerk with the guy she spent thirteen hours with. And his excuse for their miscommunication the first time was plausible. Could there have been a reason for the text? She doesn’t want to think about it.

Now comes the time for the keynotes. They’re set up to present one right after another, with her going first. Jane is so nervous at the thought of facing him again, especially after realizing that she probably should have given him the chance to explain. She doesn’t see him, not in the crowd, not off stage, but when the lights dim, she falls into the science, passionately presenting her latest research, forgetting her personal drama. Before she knows it, the lights are back up and it’s time for Q&A. And Loki is just standing in the aisle, looking a bit wild. Before anyone can ask a question, he’s lobbing them at her, one after another, not giving her a chance to answer—all while he’s advancing on the stage. But then the questions change. 

“Don’t you think, Miss Foster, that it’s terribly juvenile to posit a theory and never bother to prove it?”

“What? All my research—”

“That’s not the theory I’m referring to. I’m referring to that scenario you cooked up in your head as you were making your mad dash out of my hotel room last night.”

Gasps from the audience. Loki’s climbed the stage now and towering over her. “She’s not my girlfriend.”

Jane raises a brow in mild disbelief, even while hope pounds in her heart. “She clearly thinks she’s something to you.”

Loki grins. “She wants to be, but she never will,” he murmurs as he takes her face in his long, slender hands. “But you? You belong with me.”

Jane tries her best to give him a flat look, but she’s relieved and happy. “Is that so.”

Loki: “Oh, yes.”

And deep passionate kiss right in front of everyone. There’s a smattering of applause that pulls them apart. And Jane turns to the audience: “Anyone else have any questions?” Hands fly into the air.

Epilogue: Jane and Loki working in the same lab a year later. Because they’ve discovered that while both of their takes on the Einstein-Rosen bridge theory were good, they were both missing important elements. Apparently their work wasn’t as disparate as they original thought. The first successful test happens, and they whoop and holler and engage in a celebratory lip-lock.

**The End**


	4. Loki Runs For President

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Prompt:** Loki runs for president (from iamartemisday on Tumblr)  
>  **Genre:** Canon Divergence AU, Drama, Romance  
>  **Rating:** T

**Loki Runs For President**

You’d think it’d be a comedy, but nope. It’s canon divergence AU. When Loki fell off the broken Bifrost at the end of the first Thor film, he didn’t go to Thanos. He went to Midgard. Lands in the USA, but he loses his memories—if not his cunning and his need for power.

He also figures out that he can do a bit of magic. There’s something that makes him different than other humans. And he realizes that he could probably squash them like ants under his boot. He could totally rule this world, and he decides that he wants to. But again, he’s never been tortured by Thanos. He’s a bit mad, but only a bit. So, he’s more his subtle, conniving self. He doesn’t know he’s immortal, but he figures he’s in his 30′s. Plenty of time to take over the world bit by bit. He’ll start with the American Presidency. He manufactures a past that makes him eligible to run despite his non-American accent. He looks good in a suit. His smile is gorgeous. People like him. It’s not hard to fool them, the plebians. He’s chosen the name Lucas Lawson to go by because it feels vaguely right.

He’s like this crazy contender who comes out of left field on his own ticket—the Anarchist party. No one believes he’s legit at first. No one thinks he’ll actually get anywhere with his campaign that we should all do what we want. But he does. He gains a lot of traction, especially when other candidates start having their secrets revealed in the most public ways. Loki’s not involved, of course. Of _course_. So he seems like the only non-back-biting candidate. And it’s refreshing. He does the whole circuits, not just traveling across country, but regular visits to late night talk shows where he charms the pants off everyone.

But not everyone is happy with his campaign. Jane Foster feels like something is very wrong with this dude. And she’s on the front lines of the albeit very small group protesting his candidacy. They cross paths when she’s protesting an event he’s at, and he sees her and there’s just _something_ about her that he can’t shake. He has his people look into her, but why should he give a rat’s patooty about some meager astrophysicist who’s on the fringe in her field? It’s not like her protests are affecting his numbers, anyway. But she’s always in the back of his mind. Jane Foster. Jane Foster. Why does it sound familiar?

They cross paths again, another protest at one of his campaign stops. And it’s like she can see right through him. He has to know why. He arranges a meeting under the guise of addressing her concerns. They bicker and fight, and he decides he really doesn’t like her at all. The feeling is mutual.

But then he can’t stop thinking about her. Cue more covert meetings. More arguments. More determination on his part to never see her again, but he doesn’t stop. The election is looming, but he’s finding ways to visit her. Sometimes with his magic, though he keeps that concealed. She tells him to go away. He won’t. And then they scream at each other and he just wants her to. Shut. Up. And he kisses her. And _kisses_ her.

And then begins this crazy affair that they manage to keep hidden until the night before the day before the election. That morning the tabloids are covered with a kiss they shared at the threshold of his hotel room. It’s clear to anyone with eyes what’s going on there. And Jane.. she’s struggling. Because it’s been a couple years since she’s seen Thor, but he’s a good guy. He’s the guy she’s supposed to be with. And here she’s shagging this horrible, arrogant politician who she doesn’t even really like. But then Lucas Lawson has this brokenness to him that she can see when they’re together. And a part of her is weirdly drawn to it.

Unfortunately, the press is all over Jane, and she didn’t want this. None of it. The paps follow her everywhere, shouting questions at her. She can’t get any of her research done—her lab is run over by them.

As much as some folks feel a little betrayed by Loki (Lucas) keeping secrets and having a dalliance with some gal, he still wins the election the next day. And he’s glad, but it’s kind of a hollow victory because Jane won’t take his calls or answer his texts. He sneaks off during the celebrations—after he’s made his acceptance speech—via magic to find her in New Mexico. She’s out in the desert trying to escape the paps, but also to find some kind of answer for the crazy life that she’s ended up with. She sees a figure walking toward her. And it’s Loki/Lucas and she’s both relieved and dreading his visit.

He says her name. She says his chosen name. And he’s about to say something else, something to help her come to the conclusion on her own that they should go ahead and be together. Because he’s decided that he wants her. She’s smart, brilliant for a human, and he likes it when they fight. He likes more when they make-up. He wants to play house with her.

Before any more words can be exchanged between them, however, a brilliant rainbow-like light shoots down nearby, leaving behind an imposing Thor. He smiles when he sees Jane, and then flips out when he sees his brother standing nearby. “Loki,” he warns, holding up his hammer, “you stay away from her.” Jane’s eyes widen with horror. Loki? OMG _LOKI??_

Loki still doesn’t have his memories, though. He _has_ heard of Thor, of course. He knows about the Avengers Initiative, having been read in that night. He even knows a little of Thor’s connection with Jane. He decides to play along, though. “Why?” he asks. “When you’ve certainly done a better job of staying away?” Thor growls, but Loki holds up his hands. “I have more important matters to attend to.” He glances at Jane, a little ache in his chest because she’s looking a back at him in utter betrayal and he actually hasn't deceived her. “Until next time, dear Jane.”

And that would be the end of the first multi-chapter fic in a two part series.

**The End**


	5. Roommates + Detective AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Requested from rosalysaoirse on Tumblr: "Fanfic Trope if you're still up for it. 12 & 13 for Lokane. I wanna ask more but I don't wanna bombard you. Thank you!"

**Roommate AU + Detective AU**

Loki’s a spy, and one who had been a criminal before but has been turned. He still operates outside the rules, and while it drives people crazy, he gets the job done. He’s charming, silver-tongued, a master at disguise and espionage, and maybe a hair sociopathic. (Everyone’s just a smidgen scared of him.)

So, there’s this group that deals with information on the black market, the kind that can topple business empires and even governments. MI6 has been trying to infiltrate the group, to discover who is at the head, but they can’t get close. (There’s suspicion that they have someone at MI6.) After years without any success, they decide to give the job to their slightly scary, very capable spy. Loki is given cart blanche. They need this group taken down ASAP because they are destabilizing the world economy. 

Loki decides that science is the way in. MI6 has tried all the regular channels to get in, through business, through criminal routes, and nada. But they’ve got a small niche in the science world, dealing in information there (some light espionage). But while he’s a very smart dude and has some leanings in that direction from his youth, he knows that he can’t pass himself off as a true expert. He needs an asset, one that isn’t well-known, but brilliant enough to be a good candidate for this group to “turn.” 

Enter Jane Foster, amazing astrophysicist but not well-known because her passion is in the fringe science of trying to make a transversable wormhole. And she’s lost funding. She’s perfect for what Loki needs. It takes some convincing, though, and a promise of getting her proper facilities after all this is over.

They go through an American University rather than in England. (This group is on to MI6, so Loki wants to be somewhere else.) Loki gets her set up, and he’s posing as her assistant. He needs her to make a name for herself in the science world as a very promising up-and-comer. They are going to share a flat together, for her protection, and so that Loki can teach her how to be a spy.

They are a bit like oil and water, they don’t mix well. To her, Loki is arrogant and amoral. To him, Jane is absentminded and rash. She also has a strong idea of what’s right and wrong, and he’s constantly having to battle her to do pretty much anything that requires being just a little bit bad. Sometimes he even wins. Often he’s forced to find a work around because of her high standards of what she will and won’t do.

Over time, they get to know each other better. He’s teaching her how to defend herself, and she’s getting him to open up a bit. (Like, he never does with anyone ever.) They’re becoming friends. At the same time, Jane is making a name for herself finally. And she’s approached by the group.

If I were writing this story, I’d have better details other than “she gets in, and with Loki’s help, she manages to move up in the circles.” Some bad stuff goes down right when she’s on the cusp of saying “nope” to all this, and suddenly Jane is 100% about taking these bastards down. It’s like a switch flips inside of her, and she no longer fights Loki about having to do Bad Things in order to get closer to the mysterious head of this thing. (But then, Loki reins her in as much as he can—because the idea of her losing herself bothers him. He’s compromised, but he won’t admit it.)

The rest of the tale would be full of edge-of-your seat, heart-thumping moments where Jane is close to having her cover blown or Jane has to make a decision that forces her to choose between crossing a line she never wanted to cross or to die. Loki’s doing his best to support her. And he’s taking down anyone who comes close to figuring out who she really works for. Everything is building up to some big thing that the group is going to do that is going to make a major shift in world power. The clock is ticking.

They’re getting close, so close. And then Jane is found out. She’s imprisoned, and MI6 is like, “welp, there goes another one.” They order Loki to stand down. He’s having none of that, though. He goes absolutely _ballistic_. He pretty much burns most of the known group down to get to her. And when he finds her, it’s no longer a spy/asset relationship. She almost died. He destroyed a huge portion of this group to get to her. Things are way changed. And after they make it clear that they’re 100% ride-or-die for each other now, Jane’s like, “So, I think I might know how to get to [leader].” 

Through some killer spy stuff, they do.

Afterward, MI6 of course is like, “Yep, we knew you’d get the job done all along. Here’s a medal to pat you on your back.” And Loki just laughs. Yeah, no. He’s done. He’s got Jane. He’s gonna be her real assistant, and they’re going to live out a quiet life in the middle of nowhere in New Mexico, thank you very much.

Epilogue: Jane and Loki are living that quiet life, working with second-hand equipment. The CIA comes calling. The cause is good, like _really_ good, and the CIA is offering to let them work autonomously. Jane and Loki look at each other.

Loki: “Should we?”

Jane: “Hell yeah.”

**THE END**


	6. Royal AU + Stranded

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> iamartemisday requested a Royal AU + Stranded Due to Inclement Weather

**ROYAL AU + STRANDED DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER**

Since Loki’s already a royal in canon, I’d go with a Modern AU for this one (where the characters are in their early to mid twenties). Loki is the rebellious prince of some small made-up country in Scandinavia. Because of reasons. Let’s call it...Grenandal. His brother Thor is a bit of a troublemaker, too, but he’s kind of settling down lately in preparation for taking over the throne. He’s engaged to Sif. But Loki? Yeah, he’s not done having fun, much to his parent’s chagrin.

After getting her graduate degree, Jane has landed an internship with one of the scientists in residence in Grenandal, Dr. Erik Selvig. She’s excited to begin working in her chosen field with one of her heroes in a gorgeous country she’s never heard of. This is going to be great.

But here’s the problem: Loki occasionally likes to visit the astrophysics lab. It’s kind of his secret love, astrophysics. He’s actually a genius, but he learned long ago as a child that being a giant science nerd wasn’t cool. His brother made fun of him as well as his brother’s friends. Odin couldn’t care less that his second son was a natural-born STEM kid—there are more important things to focus on: politics et al. And once Loki figured out that he was never going to measure up to his big brother, he learned that bad attention was still attention, you know? 

Anyway, he is the least problematic for Erik, though he initially tries to keep up his reckless devil-may-care persona, even when he comes to hang out with the master scientist. Over time, he’s dropped the facade, letting his enthusiasm leak through. The lab has become the one place where he doesn’t have to pretend. But it took a lot for him to trust Erik, that he wouldn’t give Loki’s secret away. And in walks this petite, headstrong young woman. And the mask is back up. Their first meeting goes horribly. Loki resents that this interloper has encroached on his safe space. He resents that she’s got Erik’s attention and time. So he’s kind of extra awful with her.

Jane, of course, despises him. She thinks he’s exactly what all the tabloids say he is, just a spoiled, narcissistic brat. She earned the right to be here, and he’s just meddling. Erik says that Loki isn’t as bad as she thinks he is (yes, a little twist on what canon gives us here), but Jane’s never seen anything but the jerk. She and Loki have a lot of fights, and yeah, okay, maybe sometimes she realizes that he actually knows something about astrophysics, but he’s such a dillwad, she’d rather he’d stay away.

Erik has been invited to some conference or another to present a paper he’s recently published, but at the same time there are some important readings happening in the night sky in the mountains of Grenandal. As Erik can’t be both places, and Jane can’t present for him at the conference, he’s decided to send Jane to collect data. It’s nearly Spring, so the weather should be fine, if a bit chilly. And oh, maybe Loki should go with her to help out. Jane’s like, “Yeah, thanks but I can handle this on my own.” Loki, on the other hand, is definitely going, if only to find a way to make Jane so miserable that she’ll quit the internship. (He’s not going to mess up the data collection, though. Because he likes Erik and _science_.)

The car ride is miserable. So much fighting; it’s like Loki can’t leave her alone. (He won’t.) And Jane is on the verge of murder or at the very least maiming him. But then a late winter storm hits and it’s bad. They’re caught in a blizzard on a small road. A patch of black ice in the road has them spinning until the vehicle crashes into a tree. Fortunately Jane and Loki are okay (thank you airbags), if a bit banged up. The engine is dead, and they stay in the car until it gets too cold. They have some cold weather gear, but not nearly enough for this type of storm. And there’s no cell phone service. Loki starts to get out of the car, and Jane thinks he’s crazy. But he tells her that they aren’t far from one of the properties his family owns, and there’s a cabin there that he and his brother used to hang out at in the summer when he was younger.

Turns out Loki is a bit more banged up than he let on, and Jane ends up having to help him trudge through the snow. It takes them an hour or two to find the cabin, and they’re both on the verge of hypothermia by the time they reach it. It’s nice, but it’s locked up tight. Loki throws his weight against the door a few times, swallowing down the pain, gritting his teeth. At the third try the lock breaks through the jamb and they get inside. Unfortunately, there isn’t power. But Loki rummages through the place until he can find a flashlight while Jane props a chair up against the door to keep it from swinging open in the gale. 

Their luck turns for the better when they find a stack of firewood next to the hearth and a box of matches nearby. Loki starts a fire, trying his best to pretend that he’s not as injured as he is (a cracked rib or two and a badly sprained ankle). Jane is trying not to pretend that she’s freezing—like _really_ freezing. She can’t seem to get warm despite the blankets she’s pilfered from the bedroom and the warm flames cackling in the fireplace. She’s shaking violently, and Loki finally notices. He curses and starts stripping down and tells her to do the same.

Jane, through blue lips, whispers, “Over my de...de...dead bo...body.”

Loki: “Don’t flatter yourself. I’m not into girls built like prepubescent boys.”

Jane: “Ba...ba...bastard.”

Loki: “Yes, darling. Now strip or do I have to do it for you?”

He does end up having to help her. Because she’s shaking too badly. He manages to get them snuggled in blankets on top of the couch cushions he’s dragged over in front of the hearth. If she weren’t like a popsicle, he’d notice just how perfectly she fits against him. They eventually fall asleep this way.

When Jane wakes up, she’s a bit mortified. She manages to extricate herself from Loki without waking him, and gets dressed; her clothes have dried by the fire. She searches the kitchen, noting a few cans of food in the cupboard as well as tea and coffee. She’s grateful to discover that the water is still running and fills up the coffee maker. She looks through the windows, but has to stand on a chair since the snow drifts reach almost the top of the window. The storm as eased a bit, but it’s still snowing. Her phone still has no bars, and she shuts it off to preserve the battery.

Loki stirs with a groan. Now that she’s thawed out (only a couple of bruises from the accident), she notices that he’s trying very hard to hide how much pain he’s in. She finds a first aid kit in the bathroom and silently thanks her mom for signing her up for Girl Scouts back in the day (a futile attempt at helping Jane make friends with other girls her age) as she wraps Loki’s ankle. She finds some ziplock bags and makes a couple of ice packs using the wall of snow at the door. She has to help him back into his close; any movement on his left side causes him agony. She tries not to notice his physic (among other things) as she does. They spend the day with her taking care of them both, heating soup in the fireplace in the cast iron skillet she found in the cabinets.

Needing to survive has a funny way of taking the pettiness out of people. After exhausting their options (which is pretty much limited to staying put until the storm passes), they fall into silence. They stick to the main living area because of the fire; they keep it going just enough to ward off the worst of the chill. Jane explores the cabin for anything else they can use to make it through. There’s a small library in one of the bedrooms, but most of the books are in Grenandalian (which is kind of a combination of Icelandic and Norwegian). She grabs a couple of classic sci-fi novels that are in English. One by Ray Bradbury, the other by Isaac Asimov (a personal favorite of Jane’s since he was an actual scientist, too). After she opens one of the books, Loki asks her to read to him. It’ll help take his mind off the pain as the over-the-counter painkillers in the first aid kit are doing little for his aching ribs.

So, she reads to him. Fixes another canned meal that they share, then they lapse into silence. Eventually, she broaches it with a simple question. Why does he visit to the lab? After a couple of snarky comments that she calls B.S. on, he finally admits that maybe he finds science interesting. He’s not very forthcoming, though, but it’s enough to make Jane start to realize that maybe there’s more to the bad boy prince than she previously realized. They fall asleep together again for shared warmth, though they stay clothed. 

Jane wakes first again, but something seems off. After a bit, she realizes that it’s Loki’s breathing. It’s shallow and, well, wet. His face is ashen, too, and she’s alarmed. She pulls up his shirt and sweater to check his injured side, and he hisses from the pain, though it comes out more like a gurgle. The bruise that was there yesterday has spread and it’s bright and ugly, the skin pulling tight. (I’m spitballing here; I would have done extensive research on internal injuries if I actually wrote this story.)

She’s freaking out because while the storm has passed, the drifts are still high and it’s still snowing just a bit. Loki needs help right now. Her first aid training in Girl Scouts didn’t cover this. Loki murmurs that there should be some kind of landline to the cabin. He thinks that there might be an old phone stored in the shed out back. She has to climb through the window because of the drifts and it’s hard work to get into the shed, but she manages it. She has to use the flashlight, and precious time seems to tick away as she searches through the boxes. There are photo albums and odds and ends, and yes! Finally! The phone. She climbs back out over the drift, trying to close the door behind her to protect the stuff from the snow, trudges back to the cabin, shimmies through the window. She checks on Loki, and he’s passed out, his breathing even more shallow.

She frantically plugs in the phone and almost cries with relief when she hears a tone through the receiver. She calls emergency services and does her best to tell them where she and Loki are. They give her advice on how to care for Loki while she waits. (Again, I’d research this!) It’s more than an hour when she hears the rescue helicopter.

She sits helpless by as the emergency responders quickly check Loki and get him on a gurney. She’s worried that there isn’t enough room for her to ride with them, that she’ll have to wait for other rescue services, but they usher into the chopper. During the ride, Loki codes and they’re able to get him breathing again, and his heart beating, but it’s terrifying for Jane. She may not have liked him, but he’d saved her from hypothermia, and she doesn’t wish death on him. She actually cares, and if this wasn’t so scary, she’d have to question how she really feels about him.

He’s rushed off to surgery at the hospital and she waits anxiously for hours. His family arrives—Thor and Frigga, at least. They want to know everything that happened. Thor doesn’t understand why Loki was on the trip at all (because the visits to the lab are Loki’s secret), and when he implies that it was a stupid thing for Loki to do, Jane is angry. She tells him off, explains that Loki is actually pretty damn amazing at science if anyone cared to notice, that he probably would make a fantastic research scientist if he weren’t forced to be in politics. She also says that she’d probably be dead if it weren’t for him. Thor is stunned, but fortunately not offended. Frigga watches the entire exchange with a shrewd expression.

The doctor comes then. Loki’s out of surgery, in recovery. The prognosis is good. (Medical stuff again that I’d research.) Once he’s moved into a private room, he can have visitors. Frigga has to basically strong-arm Jane into going back to her place to shower and change into clean clothes and get some rest. Jane does two of the three. She’s back at the hospital as fast as she can be. The nurses initially don’t want to let her have access to the prince until she gives her name. Turns out she’s on the list of approved visitors. It’s late at night, but Frigga is there. She smiles and says she’s not surprised to see Jane, offers her a seat. After a few long beats of silence, Frigga talks.

Frigga: “I sometimes wonder that we’ve done a disservice to him.”

Jane frowns, not understanding.

Frigga: “What would he have become if he hadn’t been forced into this life by virtue of birth?”

Jane: “A scientist?”

Frigga looks at her son, laughs softly, though it’s mirthless. “More than that, I think. Perhaps he’d actually be happy.”

Another beat of silence passes before Frigga speaks again. “He’s never had a friend—not a real one who isn’t interested in his status.” Frigga looks up at Jane. “I hope he’s found one now.”

She stands before Jane can respond. “I’m going to fill my husband in on his prognosis. I trust you’ll keep an eye on my boy?”

Jane nods.

After Frigga leaves, Jane pulls her chair closer to the bed. She’s thinking about what Frigga said. Can she be friends with Loki? She’s not sure. She doesn’t know if they’ll go back to old patterns, but she hopes not. Exhaustion finally overtakes her, and she curls up in the chair. She reaches for his hand just before she falls asleep.

She wakes hours later, his fingers are now twined with hers. His eyes are open, and the way he stares at her is a bit unsettling, like if he blinks she’ll disappear.

“You’re here,” he says in a voice raspy from being intubated during surgery.

“Yeah,” she says, and because the moment feels a little too big, a little too important, she adds, “I couldn’t let you die before I yelled at you properly for getting us stranded in the first place.”

The corner of his mouth curls at that. “You should be nicer to me. I saved your life.”

“I saved yours, so we’re even.”

He laughs at that, but it turns into a groan. They don’t talk more before he falls asleep again, but he doesn’t let got of her hand, and she doesn’t pull away.

Jane visits every day when he’s in the hospital. She reads to him from the book they started in the cabin, and when his family isn’t around, they talk science. He opens up just a little here and there, and she finally understands what Erik kept telling her, what Frigga implied that first night. They banter, but instead of angry invectives, it’s more playful teasing.

It’s a month after he’s been discharged, and they’re getting comfortable in their routine—he now visits the lab every day. (He’s been released from some of his princely duties, and we all know Frigga is behind that.) Erik leaves for the night, but Jane and Loki are still combing through data. (During Loki’s recovery, Erik was able to go and get the readings in the mountains.)

Loki abruptly stands up, and fetches Jane’s things. “Come on. We’re getting out of here.”

Jane raises her brows. “We are?”

“Hm, yes,” he says. “This is long overdue.”

Jane is confused, but she goes along with him. He takes her to the castle, a place she’s gotten to visit again a couple of weeks ago thanks to a dinner that Frigga threw in her honor. While it was nice, it was kind of stuffy. She had to wear a dress, and she spent the evening watching everyone else so she didn’t end up using the wrong fork and start an international incident.

Loki grabs her hand, takes through the building, ignoring the servants walking by. They climb several flights of stairs, and just when she wants to call “uncle”, they reach the top. This is clearly one of the turrets, but the roof is made of glass instead of stone.

Loki likes the awe that comes over Jane’s face. Aside from the lab and his chambers, this is the only other place that is fully his. It’s small, but it’s the original royal observatory. There’s a a large, archaic telescope that takes up the center of the room. He’d spent a good portion of his life restoring it, and this is the first time he’s shared it with someone who can truly appreciate it.

It’s a moment or two when Jane finally notices that there’s a table set up nearby with dinner.

“What’s this?” she asks.

Loki gives her his signature devilish grin. “In Grenandal, we call this a ‘date.’”

She narrows her eyes, though her stomach flutters. “A date?” 

He steps close to her, humming in agreement.

“I thought you didn’t go for girls built like prepubescent boys,” she replies with a smirk of her own.

“I lied.” He leans forward like he’s going to kiss her, and Jane’s heart is fluttering in her chest.

“I though the kiss was supposed to come after the date,” she murmurs.

He smiles. “Now, Jane, when have you ever known me to follow the rules.”

And then he kisses her, and it’s magnificent and wonderful and everything. 

Afterward they are glued to the hip, and Frigga approves.

**THE END**


	7. Secretly Rich

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, I've been following [this incredible story](https://ruinmyweek.com/relationships/fiance-secretly-rich/) and thought it would make a great Lokane fic that I don't have time to write. (Well, with the situation flipped on its head a bit.)

Imagine, if you will…

Jane and Loki aren't initially in a relationship, but maybe science colleagues. Maybe they graduated the same school, and he worked through university just like her. (He’s estranged from his family, doesn't want to touch his trust fund.) So she thinks he comes from a humble background like her.

But as they're working together, little things happen that just seem to work out in her favor. Her car breaks down, and Loki suggests a mechanic, and the repair ends up being far cheaper than she expected. She needs a piece of equipment, and suddenly a used version of it is up for sale, and it's just the right price and it's in mint condition. Her building is going to be bulldozed and turned into a commercial property. But then a flyer shows up about an open house for apartments and it's again in her budget. The apartment isn't extravagant, so even though the rent is on the low side, it's not too good to be true.

She never suspects anyone might be pulling strings, though. Because it's all reasonable, if on the luckier side. And even if she did suspect a secret benefactor, she would never ever think it's Loki. Because he's poor just like her. And he's a bit of a snarky jerk. Definitely not someone she considers generous by any definition of the word.

And initially, he does these things because he doesn't want to hear her complain about personal stuff, especially when it's a simple matter to fix them. But over time, they've become friends. The sniping banter between them changes to good-natured ribbing. They start spending time together outside of the lab; a late dinner here and there becomes hitting the latest sci-fi flick at the theater together or her showing him her favorite place to stargaze in the mountains. All during this, Jane keeps having lucky coincidences but only when she's in a real bind.

They are dating now, and they've moved in together. (Funny how he lives in the same building as her new place.) She's moved into his apartment because it has a little more space than hers, but it's still modest. And they're happy, science-ing together. But one day in the lab, she uses his computer to look at their recent data (because his computer is the nearest one when inspiration strikes) while he's out picking up lunch for them. While she's looking, an email notification pops up from a jeweler. Unable to resist, she opens it up, and it's an email stating that they've completed the ring he's custom ordered, and from the attached image, it's breathtaking and expensive. Feeling guilty for snooping, she closes the email and marks it as unread. Before she can minimize the app, another email catches her eye, this one from a decidedly feminine address with the subject: "You're Gonna Love Me Even More."

Jane's heart drops. Because her last serious relationship involved a cheating dillwad. (And funnily, she thought she was always going to have to see Donald around - because they shared friends and lived in the same community - but then he got a dream residency offer that he had unsuccessfully applied for before and it was across the country.) She's freaking out that Loki might be unfaithful too, so she opens the email, sick to her stomach as she steels herself for what she'll find there. But it's not at all what she expects. It's regarding a rare piece of equipment that Jane hasn't been able to find, at least not at an affordable price. This woman has procured it and, "We'll have it posted for sale at the discussed price." Then there's a note about how she (the woman in the email) doesn't understand why Loki keeps buying equipment and selling it at a loss. Jane can't quite grasp what this means. How can he afford these things? What does that woman mean about him selling at a loss? Her phone chimes with an alert. It's a notification that the equipment she needs has just been listed for sale. "Used" but in "mint condition"—and at a price point that’s just within her budget.

She looks through his emails and discovers that this isn't the first time something like this has happened. But how?? He's on a tight budget too. She can't find anything that indicates that he's earning extra money by legal or illegal means. And that's when Loki shows up with lunch, teasing her about her bland vegetarian food. He stops short when he sees her at his desk, his email app open.

**Loki:** ( _sigh_ ) It would seem I've been caught out.

**Jane:** How? How long have you been doing this? Why have you been doing this? _How_ are you even _able_ to do this??

**Loki:** ( _soft laugh_ ) That's a lot of questions, darling.

**Jane:** Important ones, Loki! We can't afford any of this!

**Loki:** Actually, I can. Quite easily, in fact. I'm rather wealthy, but it just so happens that I don't care for money—or, at least, where the money comes from.

Jane feels a little bit betrayed that he never told her this gigantic fact about himself, but when she thinks about it, she realizes that his pretending not to have money has _never_ forced her to have to make up the difference with her own meager bank account. He always pays his fair share of everything and after they started dating, he treats her to things occasionally and he's given her small but meaningful gifts. She just didn't know that he's also been taking care of her behind the scenes too—and from the time when they were more adversarial colleagues than even friends.

**Jane:** OMG. The apartment was you too!?

**Loki:** ( _shrugs_ ) Well, I do own the building.

She kinda loves him for letting her keep her independence, even after they moved in together.

**Jane:** ( _stands up, and rising on her toes, gives him a soft kiss_ ) When you ask, the answer is 'yes.'

**Loki:** ( _rare sincere smile blossoms widely on his face_ ) Good to know.

**Jane:** ( _starts to walk away_ ) Oh, and take [rare equipment] down from the site. It's not smart to pay for things twice.

Loki's laughter echoes in the lab. And they live happily (snarkily) ever after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As ever, thank you for reading!


End file.
